Costs in Moldova

The National Bureau of Statistics measures household costs through the Household Budget Survey. In 2025, average monthly consumption expenditure was MDL 6,462.0 per person in urban areas and MDL 3,900.3 in rural areas. Regional averages ranged from MDL 7,600.8 in Chișinău to MDL 4,400.4 in the North, MDL 3,894.3 in the Centre and MDL 3,641.3 in the South. One-person households averaged MDL 6,389.0 per person, while households with five or more members averaged MDL 3,555.4. The 2025 survey methodology changed, so comparisons with earlier years require caution. Food is the largest spending category. It represented 40.2% of average household expenditure, 35.2% in urban areas and 47.4% in rural areas. In 2025, average annual consumption was 111.2 kilograms of bread and 60.5 kilograms of meat per person. Households may combine shops, markets, farm purchases and their own production. Average food prices rose during 2025, including fresh fruit by 20.06%, eggs by 20.05%, vegetable oil by 10.69% and milk and dairy products by 5.76% compared with December 2024. Housing costs depend strongly on ownership and locality. About 92.1% of households lived in an owned home and 7.9% rented or lived rent-free; renting was more common in urban areas at 14.9% than in rural areas at 1.8%. Detached houses accounted for 66.4% of households overall, while apartments made up 64.5% of urban households and detached houses 98.4% of rural households. Moldova has no uniform national rent tariff. Local advertisements and landlord contracts determine rent, deposit, contract terms and which utilities the tenant pays. Housing costs exceeded 30% of household income for 11.6% of households. Utilities include electricity, gas, water, sewerage and heating. The National Agency for Energy Regulation oversees regulated energy prices, while local water and heating providers set or apply locality-specific tariffs. On the documented 2026 tariffs, low-voltage electricity supply excluding value-added tax was 356 bani per kilowatt-hour for Premier Energy and 395 bani for FEE Nord. Time-based tariffs were 375 day and 294 night bani for Premier Energy, and 411 day and 343 night bani for FEE Nord. Energocom gas supply for low-pressure households was MDL 18,798 per 1,000 cubic metres excluding value-added tax, with distribution of MDL 4,974 per 1,000 cubic metres; the final amount depends on category and pressure. Water and sewerage costs vary by provider. Household water in Chișinău was MDL 14.03 per cubic metre, compared with MDL 27.40 in Bălți, MDL 23.45 in Cahul and MDL 25.17 in Ungheni in the available tariff data. Heating costs also vary by provider; Comrat, for example, had a documented thermal tariff of MDL 3.22 per kilowatt-hour excluding value-added tax. Rural infrastructure can add connection or maintenance costs: access shares were 56.2% for an aqueduct, 47.2% for an indoor toilet, 71.0% for sewerage and 56.1% for a bathroom or shower, compared with 96.2%, 91.4%, 97.6% and 92.5% in urban areas. Heating creates a strong seasonal budget risk, especially where homes rely on solid fuel or have weak insulation. The 2025–26 Ajutor la contor program supported approximately 620,000 households, with maximum support of MDL 1,000 for gas, heat or electricity and MDL 800 for solid fuel; eligibility depended on household income, size, heating source and status. Transport accounted for 8.1% of average spending, 10.0% in urban areas and 5.2% in rural areas. From 21 August 2026, the provisional cap for regular interregional passenger transport was MDL 1.11 per kilometre and passenger, linked to fuel costs and subject to a seven-month review cycle. Municipal fares differ by locality, while rural transport availability can make private-car fuel costs more significant. On 9 September 2026, the maximum reference prices were MDL 32.59 per litre for petrol 95 and MDL 32.84 for diesel. Healthcare represented 4.5% of household spending, 5.1% in urban areas and 3.6% in rural areas. The National Health Insurance Company administers access through the Unified Compulsory Health Insurance Programme. Employees pay a 9% insurance contribution from salary and other remuneration, while the fixed individual contribution for 2026 was MDL 12,636 per year, with legally defined early-payment reductions for some categories. Compensated medicines and covered services may reduce direct payments, but diagnostics, dental care, private treatment and chronic conditions can create substantial out-of-pocket costs, especially without insurance. Education accounted for 1.0% of average spending, 1.5% in urban areas and 0.3% in rural areas. Public school access reduces tuition costs, and free school meals for grades I to IX began in September 2025 for approximately 295,000 pupils. A one-off school payment of MDL 1,000 per pupil in grades I to IX was also provided in 2025. Preschool food maintenance fees were set at 50% of the budget food norm, with documented food norms of approximately MDL 7.80 to MDL 35.80 per day depending on age and attendance. Higher-education tuition, accommodation and transport remain institution-specific. Families with children had average monthly income of MDL 4,870.8 and consumption expenditure of MDL 4,467.7 per person. Their spending included 39.6% for food, 13.4% for housing and utilities, 9.9% for transport and 7.6% for clothing. The 2025 subsistence minimum was MDL 3,053.4 per person, including MDL 3,044.0 for children overall, MDL 1,185.0 for children under one year, MDL 2,578.1 for ages one to six and MDL 3,378.2 for ages seven to seventeen. From 1 January 2026, the birth grant was MDL 21,886 per child and was paid automatically from the population register. The childcare allowance was MDL 1,000 per month until age two for insured and uninsured parents. Information and communication took 4.1% of spending, with rural households at 4.6% and urban households at 3.8%. A Moldtelecom fixed-internet benchmark was MDL 130 per month for 300 Mbps, MDL 150 for 500 Mbps and MDL 160 for 1,000 Mbps, depending on the offer, region and contract. Mobile and television prices are provider-specific, and rural installation can add a one-off cost. Recreation, sport and culture represented 2.4% of spending, rising to 3.5% in urban areas and falling to 0.8% in rural areas. Restaurants and accommodation represented 3.5%, with 5.3% in urban areas and 0.7% in rural areas; catering prices rose 11.96% in December 2025 compared with December 2024. Cash made up 92.7% of household spending in the available data. Banking, borrowing, debt and taxes are separate financial subjects; they affect the payment method, financing cost or net income but do not replace the underlying cost calculation. National averages also exclude the left bank of the Nistru and the municipality of Bender, so budgets for those areas require separate local evidence.